As the nation’s professional football league, the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) is a key player in Saudi Arabia’s national development goals. Since the 2024 season, Bain & Company and Twenty First Group have been tracking the league’s performance using objective data and analytical modeling. Our research brings standout performances into the spotlight for other squads and leagues to learn from, while also highlighting room for improvement.

So, what’s the score?

League highlights

Overall, the RSL has succeeded at creating a compelling storyline on the pitch with intense rivalries and exciting new champions. The title match rivaled top global leagues, with only a nine-point gap between the top four teams, compared to a 21-point spread across Europe’s top leagues.

Average squad value reached $44 million—a 28% increase from the season start. However, the top five clubs accounted for nearly three-quarters of that total value, and most clubs overspent. Inorganic growth was the primary driver behind squad value, highlighting the league’s heavy reliance on external player acquisitions. RSL clubs shifted from underspending by 6% last season to overspending by 35%, paying significantly higher transfer premiums.

Squad quality remains highly concentrated among the top three clubs (Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, and Al-Nassr), while the league average is pulled down by a long tail of emerging clubs.

Compared to the 2024-2025 season, Saudi nationals’ playing time fell by two percentage points across both adult and youth (U23) competitions. About 60% of Saudi player minutes went to defensive players, while international players occupied midfield and attacking positions. Across the league, U23 playing time averaged 15%, but NEOM SC and Al-Qadsiah highlighted their U23 players, with playing times of 36% and 24%, respectively.

League-wide online fan growth was modest and slower than in prior years, only growing 3% this season vs. 5% last year. Stadium attendance decreased 7% and stadium utilization remained flat, although the top clubs continued to command large, dedicated fan bases. A notable exception was Al-Ittihad, whose stadium attendance saw a 47% decrease from the 2024–25 season.

Top-performing clubs

As in past years, our study identifies top-performing clubs across four criteria: sports performance and quality, squad value creation, talent development, and fan engagement.

• Sporting performance and quality: Al-Hilal led the RSL in squad quality, boasting a powerful starting lineup and deep bench strength. However, Al-Hazem played well enough to finish ninth in the league overall, despite having the lowest-rated starting squad.
  
  
• Squad value creation and spending: Al-Qadsiah led in increased average player value, jumping 100% from last season after concentrating on investment in the squad. Al-Hazem was the organic growth champion and the only team to achieve positive organic growth. Al-Hazem’s 108% organic growth was driven by player development; the club converted the league’s lowest-rated starting squad into a middle-of-the-pack finisher.
  
  
• Youth and national development: NEOM SC ranked first for youth minutes played (36%), giving Saudi players more than double pitch time compared to the league average. Al-Hazem showed the strongest local representation overall, with Saudi nationals playing 55% of match minutes.
  
  
• Fan engagement: Al-Nassr earned the highest Google Trends score (29), the largest follower base (57 million, compared to the 7 million league average), and the highest stadium utilization (83%, matching European standards). The club’s average match attendance was 20,000, outpacing the league average of 7,800. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli drew the largest in-stadium attendance, averaging 23,500 fans per game.

Turning momentum into lasting value

Addressing five priorities will help the RSL sustain its transformation and position it as the top league in Asia:

• Continued professionalization: Adding deeper managerial and technical expertise to smaller clubs will help close the quality gap between top and bottom teams, lifting the league overall.
  
  
• Improved spend efficiency: Teams must maximize squad value while spending efficiently, either by developing existing players or trading smarter. In the coming season, teams need tighter control over wage inflation. They can also create value by trading top players to global leagues.
  
  
• Prioritize organic growth: Winners will make internal player development a strategic priority rather than relying on costly acquisitions to build value.
  
  
• Build stronger talent pipelines: Top teams should build structured academies to develop local players into first-team contributors. Teams also need to meaningfully increase playing time for young Saudi talent.
  
  
• Reenergize fans: Expanding both local and global fan bases will build commercial momentum for the RSL, driving both club and league values. Teams can also enhance matchday experiences to increase in-person attendance and spending.

The RSL’s ambition is extraordinary, and its impact stretches well beyond the pitch. Clubs continue to develop bold and innovative ways to advance the league—and that is almost as exciting to watch as the matches themselves. 

About Twenty First Group

Twenty First Group is a global sports intelligence agency, supporting leaders in the sport sector for over a decade. We partner with forward-thinking clients to drive sporting success and ignite fan passion. By combining strategy, data science, software engineering, and design, we deliver cutting-edge solutions that keep our clients ahead of the game. At the heart of our approach is the Intelligence Engine—a suite of advanced machine learning tools that ingests, models, and learns from vast quantities of data across multiple sources. Built and continually refined by our best-in-class data scientists and engineers, it powers insights that transform decision-making. We deliver value by improving on-field performance, optimizing competition formats, maximizing investment returns, and connecting brands with fans through compelling, data-driven stories. We’re trusted by some of the biggest names in global sport, including 16 of the current 20 Premier League clubs, and we’ve worked with leading leagues across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.